AP Chemistry
Description: This is an advanced placement course designed to prepare the student for the AP
Chemistry exam. The course covers the equivalent of one full year of college level General
Chemistry, comparable to a first year course at a college or university. The course is a rigorous
math-based course, with a strong laboratory component. It is intended for students who have
demonstrated a willingness to commit considerable time to studying and completing assignments
outside of class, and who have successfully completed a prior course in chemistry during high
school.
The course will develop the student's ability to incorporate mathematical skills in the solution of
chemistry problems, both through the use of textbook problems and laboratory activities. Since
the AP exam no longer allows the use of calculators, significant emphasis will be placed on
developing the student's ability to solve problems through dimensional analysis and estimation.
Students will be required to do extensive writing, and to keep a thorough and accurate ongoing
laboratory notebook.
Since passing the AP exam may qualify the student to by-pass a first-year college chemistry
course, AP Chemistry should not be considered "college prep." Rather, this is a college class,
with college level expectations for behavior, participation and effort.
REQUIRED materials: Scientific Calculator (must have LOG key Ti 83 prefered), Goggles,
Text Book, Graph paper, Pencil, Straight edge.
Class Fee: $20.00
th
Text: Chemistry, 7 Edition. Zumdahl & Zumdal
SUGGESTED materials: AP Chemistry Study Guide, Cliffs AP Chemistry, 3rd Ed., Chemistry
Equation Sheet.
Grading scale: 90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C, 60-69% D, 0-59% F
Grades: Grades will be determined by taking the number of points earned divided by the
number of total possible points. Points can be earned by participating in the following activities:
tests, quizzes, laboratory exercises, homework, and classroom participation (includes note
taking). Participation grades will be judged solely by the teacher and will be determined upon the
following factors: behavior, attitude, attendance, note taking, completing assignments on time,
and volunteering to put problems on the board or answer questions. The opinion of the teacher
on participation points in FINAL. There are no extra credit assignments. Your total points from
the term will comprise 80% of your overall grade. The final exam will count 20%.
Laboratory Rules:
see safety contract - YOU MUST WEAR GLASSES OR GOGGLES IN THE LAB AT ALL
TIMES! Points may be deducted for not following this FEDERAL LAW!
The lab safety video will be discuss appropriate dress and procedures, which will be shown and
discussed prior to the first lab session. Your safety contract MUST be on file before working in
the lab.
Students will keep a separate Lab Notebook that will be turned in for a grade upon lab
completion. This notebook will be a 9.75” X 7.5” composition note book. The following is a
listing of the labs scheduled for the course for the 2006 – 2007 school year. Labs may be added
or removed at the instructor’s discretion
Laboratory Assignments:
1. Introduction to Lab Practices
2. MSDS Project
3. Measurement/ Conversion Lab
4. The Densities of Liquids and Solids
5. Naming Compounds Lab
6. Density Lab
7. Isotope Lab
8. Determination of Chemical Formula
9. Properties of Hydrates
10. Finding the Ratio of moles of reactants in a chemical reaction
11. Finding moles of CaCO3
12. Finding the Stoiciometric ratio of reactants in a chemical reaction
13. Analysis of an Unknown Chloride
14. Simple Titration
15. Determination of the Equilibrium constant of a Weak Acid.
16. Coffee Cup Caliometry
17. Thermochemistry & Hess’s Law
18. Ink Chromatography
19. Gas Spectrum Analysis
20. Qualitative Analysis of Cations & Anions
21. Boyle’s Law
22. Charles Law
23. Lighter Lab
24. Triple point of Dry Ice
25. Kinetics of a reaction
26. Equilibrium & Le Chatelier’s Principle
27. Determining the Dissociation Constant of a weak acid
28. Determining the pKa of an unknown acid
29. pH Measurements of Buffers & their properties
30. Determination the Ksp of an Ionic compound
31. Spontaneity of a reaction, finding Gibbs free energy
32. Electrochemical Cells
33. Identification of an unknown substance
Lab Text:
Vonderbrink, Sally Ann, Laboratory Experiments for Advanced Placement
Chemistry. Batavia, IL: Flinn Scientific, Inc. 2001.
Slowinski, E.J., W.C., Wolsey, W.L. Masterson. Chemical Principles In The
Laboratory, Eighth Edition, United States: Brooks/ Cole Thomson Learning
Inc.2005.
The following excerpts are taken from the College Board AP Chemistry Guidelines (apcentral.collegeboard.com)
The AP Chemistry course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college
year. For some students, this course enables them to undertake, as freshmen, second-year work in the chemistry sequence at their
institution or to register in courses in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. For other students, the AP Chemistry
course fulfills the laboratory science requirement and frees time for other courses.
Prerequisites
The AP Chemistry course is designed to be taken only after the successful completion of a first course in high school
chemistry… In addition, the recommended mathematics prerequisite for an AP Chemistry class is the successful completion of a
second-year algebra course. The advanced work in chemistry should not displace any other part of the student's science
curriculum. It is highly desirable that a student have a course in secondary school physics and a four-year college preparatory
program in mathematics.
Time
…It is expected that a minimum of 290 minutes per week should be allotted for an AP Chemistry course. Of the total allocated
time, a minimum of 90 minutes per week, preferably in one session, should be spent engaged in laboratory work…. It is assumed
that the student will spend at least five hours a week in unsupervised individual study. (Note: This is the reason that the course
requires three trimesters to complete.)
Topic Outline
The following list of topics for an AP course is intended to be a guide to the level and breadth of treatment expected rather than
to be a syllabus. The percentage after each major topic indicates the approximate proportion of multiple-choice questions on the
examination that pertain to the topic.
I. Structure of Matter (20%)
A. Atomic theory and atomic structure
1. Evidence for the atomic theory
2. Atomic masses; determination by chemical and physical means
3. Atomic number and mass number; isotopes
4. Electron energy levels: atomic spectra, quantum numbers, atomic orbitals
5. Periodic relationships including, for example, atomic radii, ionization energies, electron affinities, oxidation states
B. Chemical bonding
1. Binding forces
a. Types: ionic, covalent, metallic, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals (including London dispersion forces)
b. Relationships to states, structure, and properties of matter
c. Polarity of bonds, electronegativities
2. Molecular models
a. Lewis structures
b. Valence bond: hybridization of orbitals, resonance, sigma and pi bonds
c. VSEPR
3. Geometry of molecules and ions, structural isomerism of simple organic molecules and coordination complexes; dipole
moments of molecules; relation of properties to structure
C. Nuclear chemistry: nuclear equations, half-lives, and radioactivity; chemical applications
II. States of Matter (20%)
A. Gases
1. Laws of ideal gases
a. Equation of state for an ideal gas
b. Partial pressures
2. Kinetic-molecular theory
a. Interpretation of ideal gas laws on the basis of this theory
b. Avogadro's hypothesis and the mole concept
c. Dependence of kinetic energy of molecules on temperature
d. Deviations from ideal gas laws
B. Liquids and solids
1. Liquids and solids from the kinetic-molecular viewpoint
2. Phase diagrams of one-component systems
3. Changes of state, including critical points and triple points
4. Structure of solids; lattice energies
C. Solutions
1. Types of solutions and factors affecting solubility
2. Methods of expressing concentration (The use of normalities is not tested.)
3. Raoult's law and colligative properties (nonvolatile solutes); osmosis
4. Non-ideal behavior (qualitative aspects)
III. Reactions (35-40%)
A. Reaction types
1. Acid-base reactions; concepts of Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, and Lewis; coordination complexes; amphoterism
2. Precipitation reactions
3. Oxidation-reduction reactions
a. Oxidation number
b. The role of the electron in oxidation-reduction
c. Electrochemistry: electrolytic and galvanic cells; Faraday's laws; standard half-cell potentials; Nernst equation; prediction of
the direction of redox reactions
B. Stoichiometry
1. Ionic and molecular species present in chemical systems: net ionic equations
2. Balancing of equations including those for redox reactions
3. Mass and volume relations with emphasis on the mole concept, including empirical formulas and limiting reactants
C. Equilibrium
1. Concept of dynamic equilibrium, physical and chemical; Le Chatelier's principle; equilibrium constants
2. Quantitative treatment
a. Equilibrium constants for gaseous reactions: Kp , Kc
b. Equilibrium constants for reactions in solution
(1) Constants for acids and bases; pK; pH
(2) Solubility product constants and their application to precipitation and the dissolution of slightly soluble compounds
(3) Common ion effect; buffers; hydrolysis
D. Kinetics
1. Concept of rate of reaction
2. Use of experimental data and graphical analysis to determine reactant order, rate constants, and reaction rate laws
3. Effect of temperature change on rates
4. Energy of activation; the role of catalysts
5. The relationship between the rate-determining step and a mechanism
E. Thermodynamics
1. State functions
2. First law: change in enthalpy; heat of formation; heat of reaction; Hess's law; heats of vaporization and fusion; calorimetry
3. Second law: entropy; free energy of formation; free energy of reaction; dependence of change in free energy on enthalpy and
entropy changes
4. Relationship of change in free energy to equilibrium constants and electrode potentials
IV. Descriptive Chemistry (10-15%)
Knowledge of specific facts of chemistry is essential for an understanding of principles and concepts. These descriptive facts,
including the chemistry involved in environmental and societal issues, should not be isolated from the principles being studied
but should be taught throughout the course to illustrate and illuminate the principles. The following areas should be covered:
1. Chemical reactivity and products of chemical reactions
2. Relationships in the periodic table: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal with examples from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals,
halogens, and the first series of transition elements
3. Introduction to organic chemistry: hydrocarbons and functional groups (structure, nomenclature, chemical properties).
V. Laboratory (5-10%)
The differences between college chemistry and the usual secondary school chemistry course are especially evident in the
laboratory work. The AP Chemistry Examination includes some questions based on experiences and skills students acquire in the
laboratory:o making observations of chemical reactions and substances
o recording data
o calculating and interpreting results based on the quantitative data obtained
o communicating effectively the results of experimental work
Classroom Rules: (or the top 10 ways to make Mr. Giauque happy and give you all of your
participation points!)
1. Bring materials to class. You should bring your text daily, along with your calculator and
materials to take notes. Do NOT bring food or drink, as part of this room is a working laboratory.
2. If you are going to be/have been absent, it is YOUR responsibility to see me about a make-up
assignment. Please do this at the end of the class period.
For homework and quizzes, you have as many days to turn the assignment as you were absent.
For tests and labs, you may choose to have an extension until the following day provided that
you use WHAT/ after school to make up the work. If you do not use WHAT/after school to make
up the test or lab, you will not be given the extension. Extended absences (over 1 week) will be
dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
3. Do your homework - the only way to succeed is to practice! Class time is for working, not
playing. Chemistry assignments come first. Should you complete your chemistry assignment,
then you may work on something else. Wasting time (playing cards, etc.) will not be tolerated.
4. Do not talk while someone else (especially Mr. Giauque) is talking. Please raise your hand if
you have a question and I will call on you as soon as I am at a stopping point.
5. Please stay in your seat until the bell sounds/ Instructor releases you.
6. While attendance is taken, get your materials ready to take notes. Be ready to start as soon as I
am finished! If you do so, you may talk QUIETLY until attendance is completed. Please be on
time. You are considered tardy if you enter the doorway after the bell sounds.
7. Follow all instructions, especially in the laboratory. Dress appropriately for lab.
8. All school rules will be enforced.
9. Please do not leave the room unless it is absolutely necessary.
10. All jokes made by the teacher, no matter how stupid they are, must be tolerated.
Please ask questions! However, it would be appreciated if you do NOT ask these: 1) Did I miss
anything important when I was gone? 2) If I turn this in, will it raise my grade? 3) Is there
anything I can do for extra credit? 4) Do I need to know this for the test?
Recommended Experiments
With the introduction in 1999 of a required laboratory-based question on the free-response section of the AP Chemistry Exam,
the inclusion of appropriate experiments into each AP Chemistry course is increasingly important….. It is unlikely that every
student will complete all of the 22 laboratory
experiments below while enrolled in an AP Chemistry course. Some of these experiments, in whole or in part, may be performed
during a student's first course in Chemistry before the student takes the AP Chemistry course. Also, when planning a laboratory
program, it may be useful to consider the experiments in various ways. For example, they might be grouped according to the
skills and techniques that the experiments require; e.g., experiments 6, 7, 8, 11 and 19 are all related to titrations. Alternatively,
they might be divided on the basis of the chemical concepts that they explore and reinforce; e.g. experiments 8, 20 and 21 all
relate to oxidation-reduction and electrochemistry. The major consideration when selecting experiments should be to provide
students with the broadest laboratory experience possible.
1. Determination of the formula of a compound
2. Determination of the percentage of water in a hydrate
3. Determination of molar mass by vapor density
4. Determination of molar mass by freezing-point depression
5. Determination of the molar volume of a gas
6. Standardization of a solution using a primary standard
7. Determination of concentration by acid-base titration, including a weak acid or weak base (* 1st year)
8. Determination of concentration by oxidation-reduction titration
9. Determination of mass and mole relationship in a chemical reaction (* 1st year)
10. Determination of the equilibrium constant for a chemical reaction
11. Determination of appropriate indicators for various acid-base titrations; pH determination
12. Determination of the rate of a reaction and its order
13. Determination of enthalpy change associated with a reaction
14. Separation and qualitative analysis of cations and anions
15. Synthesis of a coordination compound and its chemical analysis
16. Analytical gravimetric determination
17. Colorimetric or spectrophotometric analysis
18. Separation by chromatography
19. Preparation and properties of buffer solutions
20. Determination of electrochemical series
21. Measurements using electrochemical cells and electroplating
22. Synthesis, purification, and analysis of an organic compound
* Since 1st year chemistry classes varied, other experiments were not included in all classes. #7 and #9 were the only
experiments completed in all sections of Chemistry 1.
Chemical Calculations
The following list summarizes types of problems either explicitly or implicitly included in the preceding material. Attention
should be given to significant figures, precision of measured values, and the use of logarithmic and exponential relationships.
Critical analysis of the reasonableness of results is to be encouraged.
1. Percentage composition
2. Empirical and molecular formulas from experimental data
3. Molar masses from gas density, freezing-point, and boiling-point measurements
4. Gas laws, including the ideal gas law, Dalton's law, and Graham's law
5. Stoichiometric relations using the concept of the mole; titration calculations
6. Mole fractions; molar and molal solutions
7. Faraday's laws of electrolysis
8. Equilibrium constants and their applications, including their use for simultaneous equilibria
9. Standard electrode potentials and their use; Nernst equation
10. Thermodynamic and thermochemical calculations
11. Kinetics calculations